Exodus 36:8

been executed according to the directions given. At the commencement of this chapter the reader will observe that I have advanced the dates a. m. and b.c. one year, without altering the year of the exodus, which at first view may appear an error; the reason is, that the above dates commenced at Tisri, but the years of the exodus are dated from Abib. Introduction Bezaleel and Aholiab make the ark, Exo 37:1-5 . The mercy-seat, Exo 37:6 . The two cherubim, Exo 37:7-9 . The table of the shew-bread, and its vessels, Exo 37:10-16 . The candlestick, Exo 37:17-24 . The golden altar of incense, Exo 37:25-28 . The holy anointing oil and perfume, Exo 37:29 . Verse 1 And Bezaleel made the ark, etc. - For a description of the ark, see Exo 25:10 (note), etc. Verse 6 He made the mercy-seat - See this described Exo 25:17 (note). Verse 10 He made the table - See Exo 25:23 . Verse 16 He made the vessels - See all these particularly described in the notes on Exo 25:29 (note). Verse 17 He made the candlestick - See this described in the note on Exo 25:31 (note). Verse 25 He made the incense altar - See this described Exo 30:1 (note). Verse 29 He made the holy anointing oil - See this and the perfume, and the materials out of which they were made, described at large in the notes on Exo 30:23-25 and Exo 30:34-38 . As this chapter also is a repetition of what has been mentioned in preceding chapters, the reader is desired to refer to them. Introduction Bezaleel makes the altar of burnt-offering, Exo 38:1-7 . He makes the laver and its foot out of the mirrors given by the women, Exo 38:8 . The court, its pillars, hangings, etc., Exo 38:9-20 . The whole tabernacle and its work finished by Bezaleel, Aholiab, and their assistants, Exo 38:21-23 . The amount of the gold contributed, Exo 38:24 . The amount of the silver, and how it was expended, Exo 38:25-28 . The amount of the brass, and how this was used, Exo 38:29-31 . Verse 1 The altar of burnt-offering - See Clarke's note on Exo 27:1 ; and for its horns, pots, shovels, basins, etc., see the meaning of the Hebrew terms explained, Exo 27:3-5 (note). Verse 8 He made the laver - See Clarke's note on Exo 30:18 , etc. The looking-glasses - The word מראת maroth, from ראה raah, he saw, signifies reflectors or mirrors of any kind. Here metal, highly polished, must certainly be meant, as glass was not yet in use; and had it even been in use, we are sure that looking - Glasses could not make a Brazen laver. The word therefore should be rendered mirrors, not looking-glasses, which in the above verse is perfectly absurd, because from those maroth the brazen laver was made. The first mirrors known among men were the clear, still, fountain, and unruffled lake; and probably the mineral called mica, which is a very general substance through all parts of the earth. Plates of it have been found of three feet square, and it is so extremely divisible into laminae, that it has been divided into plates so thin as to be only the three hundred thousandth part of an inch. A plate of this forms an excellent mirror when any thing black is attached to the opposite side. A plate of this mineral, nine inches by eight, now lies before me; a piece of black cloth, or any other black substance, at the back, converts it into a good mirror; or it would serve as it is for a square of glass, as every object is clearly perceivable through it. It is used in Russian ships of war, instead of glass, for windows. The first artificial mirrors were apparently made of brass, afterwards of polished steel, and when luxury increased they were made of silver; but they were made at a very early period of mixed metal, particularly of tin and copper, the best of which, as Pliny tells us, were formerly manufactured at Brundusium: Optima apud majores fuerant Brundisina, stanno et aere mixtis - Hist. Nat. lib. xxxiii., cap. 9. But, according to him, the most esteemed were those made of tin; and he says that silver mirrors became so common that even the servant girls used them: Specula (ex stanno) laudatissima Bru

wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains of fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: with cherubims of cunning work made he them. 9 The length of one curtain was twenty and eight cubits, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the curtains were all of one size. 10 And he coupled the five curtains one unto another: and the other five curtains he coupled one unto another. 11 And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvedge in the coupling: likewise he made in the uttermost side of another curtain, in the coupling of the second. 12 Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which was in the coupling of the second: the loops held one curtain to another. 13 And he made fifty taches of gold, and coupled the curtains one unto another with the taches: so it became one tabernacle. The first work they set about was the framing of the house, which must be done before the furniture of it was prepared. This house was not made of timber or stone, but of curtains curiously embroidered and coupled together. This served to typify the state of the church in this world, the palace of God's kingdom among men. 1. Though it is upon the earth, yet its foundation is not in the earth, as that of a house is; no, Christ's kingdom is not of this world, nor founded in it. 2. It is mean and mutable, and in a militant state; shepherds dwelt in tents, and God is the Shepherd of Israel; soldiers dwelt in tents, and the Lord is a man of war, and his church marches through an enemy's country, and must fight its way. The kings of the earth enclose themselves in cedar ( Jer. xxii. 15 ), but the ark of God was lodged in curtains only. 3. Yet there is a beauty in holiness; the curtains were embroidered, so is the church adorned with the gifts and graces of the Spirit, that raiment of needle-work, Ps. xlv. 14 . 4. The several societies of believers are united in one, and, as here, all become one tabernacle; for there is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 14 And he made curtains of goats' hair for the tent over the taber